Dear Editor,

In light of this proposed amendment with regards to the “criteria” of rape, I’m kindly asking for you to oblige me in allowing me to share my views and experience in hope it may help shed some light on what this amendment is going to allow.

Many thanks,
Johari

Rape, carnal knowledge, or reasonable belief of consent???

At the age of 8, whilst doing my daily duties, which included the door-to-door selling of bread and bun, a family friend approached me and said that my uncle asked him to come get me due to some family emergency. He then took me near the cemetery, where he bounded and raped me. I was told that if I ever told anyone, I’d be killed.

At this time, stereotyping of rape victims was very negative. I was told many stories of girls that have been raped and what had happened to them after they told someone. The way you walked apparently depicted this; according to the elders, you could tell when someone was raped.

If this was the case, I’ve always struggled to understand how was it that my parents couldn’t pinpoint that I was raped. Since then, I’ve been disconnected from many things. Trust doesn’t come easy to me and most men are kept well beyond arm’s length.

Imagine, at that age when you are to be carefree, you spend your days worrying, who knows? Who’s judging? And for the most part, you keep wondering, can anyone tell that you’ve been raped? Having to hide the most hurtful fact of your life from your family hurts, but trying to hide that fact from yourself hurts a lot more. Living everyday in pain and the ultimate shame trying to walk the right way. I never told anyone.

With this new amendment that the government is trying to pass, would it be seen as though, because I voluntarily went with this man due to the fact that there was an emergency with my family, he’s off the hook because he may see my actions as giving him reasonable belief that I’m consenting to him? This would be like adding to that hurt experienced years ago, somewhat like rubbing salt in old and current wounds.

Are we to accept that according to the Constitution, circumstances and incidents need to meet special criteria in order to be classified? That being violated isn’t being violated unless it aligns with the Constitution? Or are we going to be looking at this as a simple “gliche”?

To a victim, rape is rape, regardless of color, creed, position, status or gender (male, female). Once you’ve overstepped your boundaries, your mark, once that person has said no, then it’s no, no leverage.
If this is the road we are taking, I think that the new law would effectively dismiss rape as a crime. Looking at this new law, a good attorney can appeal on behalf of his client to have his charges either dismissed, or minimized.

This is what regular people would call “past participle madarass,” or for the trained ears, nonsense.